Pokemon Colosseum & XD sequel : Purification of Orre
by MemoryWriter
Summary: After Ash's Pikachu is captured by Cipher, his & Misty's daughter Carter, who has no interest in Pokemon at all, travels to Orre to find Pikachu. A simple rescue mission twists as the Snag Machine is permanently attatched to her arm. Now she's forced to travel with the sons of Michael and Wes from XD and Colloseum - but can this girl who can barely through a Pokeball save Orre?
1. Chapter 1

**_Hey everyone! It's been a while since I've written a Pokemon Story, so here's something out of the blue. Enjoy!_**

**_Quick Summary:_**

**_After Misty's death, Ash leaves his daughter Carter to be raised by Misty's sisters in Cerulean. Years ater, Carter sees her father on the news as mysterious uniformed men steal Pikachu. Carter isn't a trainer like her paretns and doesn't even have her first Pokemon yet, but she's willing to risk it all to save Pikachu in the Orre region, one of the most criminal-filed regions of the Pokemon World. Who is Cipher and what are they doing with her father's Pikachu?  
_**

**_A new generation sets out to save the world. World Champion Ash Kethcum's novice daughter Carter, Michael's smart kid son Alex, and a mysteryious orphan raised by Team Snaggem who has inherrited the one of a kind ability to see Shadow Pokemon auras. These 3 unlikely friends join forces to travel all around Orre and purify the region of __Cipher's__ corruption._**

* * *

_A tiny pokeball wiggles on the grass, glowing that infamous pending red. A few feet away, two children stand, awaiting the ending results. Eventually however, the Pokeball stops moving. With that, the final click and ring of the item sounds, and the Pokemon has been officially caught. _

_The two children stand speechless, unable to believe that they had really caught a Pokemon. "See…?" the girl of the two says first. "I told you it was easy to catch a Pokemon."_

_The boy regains his posture and marches up to his Pokeball. He picks it up, still speechless."It's… really mine?"_

_"You caught it, didn't you?" the girl replies, walking up behind him. She smiles at his unsure expression to assure him. "Now you and that Pokemon can be best friends forever!"_

_"Friends," the boy repeats, unfamiliar with associating the term with Pokemon. He gasps a little bit as the girl places boh her hands on the Pokeball as well, over the boy's own hand even. _

_"So you don't have to go stealing other people's Pokemon," the female child states. "Catching then on your own and making friends with them is funner, you know?" She giggles a little. "Didn't you and I have fun catching it together?"_

_The flustered and confused boy turns red in the face, but nonetheless nods in agreement. He smiles. "Yeah."_

_"So when you leave, promise me we can be friends forever, too?" _

_He smiles confidently, deciding to go along with her request. "Sure." With their hands over the said Pokeball, they shake their topped hands up and down in a childlike handshake. "Friends."_

_With that, the boy runs off, leaving the girl in her yellow sundress behind. "Friends…" she says innocently, wondering if she'll ever see her playmate ever again._

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

A FEW YEARS LATER…

"_Happy birthday, to you~ Happy birthday to you- Happy birthday dear Carter~ Happy birthday to you_~!" Clapping and cheering of three fill the small kitchen as I blow out all thirteen candles. It's a quaint little birthday cake and celebration, but it's nice.

"Time to cut the cake, girls!" my Aunt Violet says, picking up the cake in front of me. Daisy and Lily disperse behind my chair to find plates and forks.

"Thanks guys," I smile warmly, turning around in my chair. "You guys didn't have to postpone your show for me, you know."

"Nonsense Carter it's your thirteenth birthday," Violet interjects, finding the cake knife. "Hey, maybe you're thinking of becoming one of the Sensational Sisters, huh? Maybe there's a perfermor's soul in you."

An estranged look overcomes me, and I hold my hand up flat. "I don't think so, Violet." Aunts and a neice don't really ring well as 'Sensation Sisters' to me, either.

Lily begins to giggle from her place near the cabinets. "Oh I can just imagine it, little Carter in Misty's old mermaid costume. It'd be so cute it's just her size!"

"Misty didn't like performing either now that I think about it," Daisy begins to reminisce, as I wait politely in my chair like a nice birthday girl. As they talk about my mom, I can't help but slump my shoulders ever so slightly.

"Ahem," Violet coughs, catching the attention of her two sisters. I glance over and I can notice her sending them a look that says 'shut up'. Personally I don't mind anymore, them talking about her. It's been about five years now...

"Well mother like daughter, I suppose," Lily laughs, nervously. "I still think Carter should at least try it out one day."

"I think I'll pass, Lily," I mention from my seat with the same face. My aunts Lily, Daisy, and Violet tell me stories about my mother Misty all the time and how much I'm like her. But the more they tell me about her, the less I see the similarities, as much as I try. I'm not a water person, and I'm no Pokemon trainer either. Pokemon just, aren't my thing, you know? But sometimes, I wish I could just have the courage to be like this adventurous red-head they tell me so much about. Aside from Pallet Town, I've never left Cerulean City ever in my life. And I'm already thirteen.

"Alright Carter, white cake with custard and strawberry cream - your favorite." Violet sets a plate down in front of me on the table, and I can feel my mouth watering at the sweet dessert.

"Ooh I almost forgot, you got some mail, Carter," Lily chimes in, coming over with a mouth full of cake. She drops a letter beside my plate before running to find her fork again.

Letters. I never get any mail, so I sort of have an idea of what this is. As I rip the side open, Daisy sits beside me with that mother-like smile of hers. "So what is it? Birthday mail?"

"Yeah. Just a card from dad," I show her, pulling out the store-bought card. Opening it there's a couple Pokedollars in the fold and a short hand written message on the right side. Nothing fancy. "He says Happy Birthday."

"That's sweet," Daisy smiles.

"Hmph! If that man has enough energy to buy and send a card I don't see why he can't just come visit," Violet snaps as she continues cutting cake.

"Oh come on now, Violet," Daisy defends from beside me at the table. "You know Ash is busy out there on his travels. At least he says hello, you know?"

"Whatever." My Aunt Violet, I think, has it the worst for my dad. When Misty, my mother, died five years ago, everything changed about my family. I was only eight, and it wasn't long after Dad said he was going on a short trip, to figure things out. He left me with my aunts here in Cerulean City at the Cerulean Gym, where I waited for him to come back. But the short trip turned into a longer one. Now the famous Ask Ketchum has 'unretired' from Pokemon Journeying as is traveling the world as we speak. I see him on posters and on television, but it's been years since I've seen him face to face.

Aunt Violet hasn't taken the gesture lightly that he 'just abandoned me here'. But, it's okay, I say. Dad still keeps in contact every now and then. And he never forgets to send me a birthday card. I keep them all in my room. When I was younger you could say I was a little sad about understanding my father left me, but I've come to accept it, you know? Mom died. We have to move on in our own ways. And, I guess for Dad that meant, traveling and continuing where his older life left off. Dad was always a world champion Pokemon trainer until he married mom and had me. Then he retired from traveling, assumingly forever.

But, I guess Mom's leaving us changed that...

"Um, I'm going to go up to my room okay?" I say, after finishing only one slice.

"Okay, Carter," Daisy smiles sympathetically as I excuse myself from our small family kitchen. I make my way upstairs to my bedroom, which is a small simple room. The door shuts and I turn the TV on for some sound. I can't stand the silence of being able to hear my aunts argue about Ash once more downstairs. I know Violet holds a grudge, but it's okay.

"Alright," I sigh out, sitting down at my computer. With the tv on behind me, I type away to surf the web. Most kids would be out playing with their Pokemon on nice days like this. Another wonderful trait I _haven't_ inherited from my parents - not a Pokemon trainer.

It sounds funny right? The daughter of Ash and Misty Ketchum and _not_ a Pokemon trainer. Kids usually get them and start their journeys at age ten, right? Well like I said, Pokemon don't really rub off on me like they would for most kids. So, I sort of just skipped the whole process and, left the next three years after ten to just normal house sitting and schooling.

"I've got an email," I click. Reading the label of the email, I realize it's Alex. My friend from Orre, another region far away from here in Kanto. He's this brainy little kid who came to Pallet a year or two ago with his dad, to visit Professor Oak for lab business or something. I got to show the kid around Professor Oak's Pokemon ranch, and we keep in touch. He's a sweet kid. He's just turned ten and got his first Pokemon starter over there.

"Mm," I read. The monitor's light reflects in my eyes as I click the play button on the email. It's a video message.

"_Hi, Carter!_" greets a small brunet boy. "_Sorry it's been a while since I've emailed you. My dad and Proffesor Krane have me doing chores all around the lab lately. But I wanted to say Happy Birthday!"_

I laugh a little at him. I love this kid like a little brother. He's always so hyped in his video emails.

"_Dad's been busy lately with work, too, over here. Says weird stuff's been going on, so I can't go traveling around yet,_" he pouts, updating me on these past few weeks. "_But I got my Starter, though! Here look! Comme Eevee, say hi to my friend!_" The camera wiggles a bit as a cute little Pokemon jumps into the boy's arms, saying hello to me. "_Look! I have my own Eevee! I have a Pokemon!_"

"Way to go, Alex," I smile, feeling pretty happy for him. Even he gets to start his Pokemon Journey before me, even if he can't leave the house just yet. Makes me wonder how bad Orre must be if he isn't allowed to go out on his own.

"_I can't wait to start travelling around Orre, though,_" he says through the video. "_There're rumors going around that those old bad guys are around again, so my Dad's looking into it._"

"Bad guys," I repeat, laughing a little. In one email before, Alex was just ranting about this old Orre stoy about some evil organization he had to do research on for school and how awesome the story was. He sent me old newspaper articles and pictures and everything.

"_Hopefully the next time I email you, it'll be from another town! And I'll get to tell you all about my Pokemon Adventures! Oh, I've gotta go. But have a great birthday, Carter! Say bye-bye, Eevee!"_

_"Eee!"_ chirps the little Pokemon as Alex wakes its paw. The video ends, and I sit back. Well, that was nice.

"Breaking story," announces something from the television behind me. "Ash Ketchum once again steps up to adversity here in the Orange Islands!" My chair spins around curiously at the mention of my dad. He's no stranger to the news when he gets caught up in battles. At first I'm expecting some stylized film video from a stadium or something, but instead I see a rough live recording somewhere.

There's smoke around, and the camera man appears to be hiding behind a bush or tree. Dad's there somewhere as the smoke's clearing, battling with his trademark Pikachu.

"Dad?" I say absentmindedly. This isn't normal.

The apparently live footage show the smoke from the previous round clearing, and it reveals Dad and Pikachu surrounded by multiple adversaries, all around in a circle formation, each with a Pokemon. And scary, intimidating Pokemon, at that. Like Houndour and Mightiena, all knarling at the teeth. All of a sudden I'm very nervous. This isn't just a street battle, is it?

"Pikachu thunder!" Ash yells, but all the evasive maneuvers erupt from all around them, and in the midst of the clash, it all clears and ends with the camera zooming in on the scene. My Dad is held from behind by two uniformed men with helmets and scarves. "Pikachu!" he cries out, and the camera searched for the yellow Pokemon. The leader of the identical, uniformed men steps up with this device that cages Pikachu. All of a sudden I realize just how serious this moment is.

"Hurry back to HQ!" yells one of them.

"Dad! Pikachu!" I yell, jumping from my chair to the television. My hands are grasping the sides, and a sense of urgency fills my head. I have to consciously breathe. The men hold Ash down as the rest run off with Pikachu before the others join them, leaving my father on the ground. A Smoke Screen fills the monitor and static shuts the live footage off, returning to the news station.

As the next headlining story comes on, my eyes are still glued close to the monitor. "Did I really just see that...?" I ask myself, feeling my knees shaking on the floor. It feels so surreal, so I replay those last five minutes in my mind.

_Those uniformed people._

It's a coincidence. It's all a coincidence. But to assure myself I throw my body back onto my spinning chair and rush to find that email. "Come on come on come on where is it," I mutter, skimming through old email files. "Where's that one Alex sent me with those news articles... Here!" Clicking the email, I scroll down the word of text and skip straight to the pictures Alex sent a long time ago. There are photographs of uniformed men and women, part of that evil organization in Orre that were credited for stealing Pokemon. "_Cipher_," I read as one of the headlines. More information from each picture. So when I compare these to the news scene I just watched, I conclude they were the same.

"But these articles say Cipher was wiped out years ago..." I contradict. My back leans into the chair as I try to piece it together. They could be back. Alex did just say some weird stuff was happening over in Orre. What the heck these guys were doing in Kanto is beyond me. But they stole my father's Pikachu. And no one knows who they are, except I have a hunch.

I have no way of contacting my father. And besides him, no one knows Pikachu like I do. In a spur of the moment thought, I realize then and there: I'm going to rescue Pikachu.

"..." Wait a sec. "..." All of a sudden I begin laughing to myself. My hand flies up to my forehead. "Did I seriously just think that?" I ask myself. There's no way I can recue Pikachu. Those thieves probably left to go all the way back to Orre. '_Back to HQ!_' the tv said. It is in Orre. And that alone is like, miles and miles away from here across the water.

And with my aunt holding me here lock and key, there's no way they'd let me out, much less all the way to another region. _Am I seriously thinking all this through?_ It's like I _want_ to rescue Pikachu... I mean yeah I do; it's just unrealistic. This feels like one of those moments where you see something horrible on the news. You feel horribl, but forget all about it as soon as homework or dinner comes up.

But this. This is _my dad_. And Pikachu. Can I really shrug this off that easily?

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

"Happy Birthday, Carter," greets Brock, a friend of my dad's. I've called up Brock to come visit from Pewter City, and he never refuses a call. We're meeting up in the town square here. He hands me a birthday card too, no doubt with some money inside. Do I not look like a present person? "So what's on your mind? It's not like you to call up the meetings. Your aunts aren't with you?"

"No Brock just me," I say with a face. Brock's an old friend of my dad's from the next town over. He's cool and all but, he can have his moments sometimes when it comes to women. Especially my aunts. And he was right. Normally he's the one calling up outings and dragging me out of the house with my aunts' help. "And I need your help with something."

"Is that so."

"I, have a friend in Orre," I make up. "And he really needs my help."

"And?"

"W-Well, I just need a way to persuade my aunts to let me go there."

"You want to go there?" Brock repeats, eyebrows lifting. Somehow I knew he'd be a little disapproving. "Your friend must be desperate if you're willing to go all that way. You sure you want to?"

I nod determined and stone-faced. "I need to do this Brock." Brock stares me down, arms crossed as if thinking up some punishment. I swallow to ease my nerves. "So will you help me?"

"To be honest I still don't think it's a good idea for you to be so far away," Brock states honestly. "But you're old enough now to start traveling on your own, so I can't stop you. Your dad would be happy to hear you want to go out and explore." At the mention of dad I can't help but feel my heart pull for Pikachu. "But first you've got to convince your aunts."

"Yeah I know. What do I do?"

Brock thinks for a moment. It feels a little cool, enlisting in Brock to help think of a cool legit lie. Then again, this is a pretty serious plan of mine. Stupid maybe even. But serious. "Pokemon Contests," Brock thinks up. "Your aunts will never believe you if you say you want to be a Trainer out of the blue."

"So, I lie and say I wanna be a Coordinator?"

"Precisely," Brock smiles. "And if they ask why Orre, tell them that May was invited to be the headliner for the Finals this year."

"No way really?"

"Yeah. She called me up about it and is all excited. You should've heard her." May is an old traveling buddy of Brock's and my dad's back in the day. She's a world famous coordinator. One of the best, according to dad. So It's no surprise when Brock tells me the news. But the best part is that it'll help smooth in the idea of me going all the way to Orre. "So once you get the okay to go there, you go help your friend and come back as soon as possible."

"You'll be the first I call when I get back," I assure, grateful for the help. I'm... seriously doing this.

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

"Pokemon contests?" All three of my aunts are seated in front of me on the couch, with me standing before them.

_I can't believe I'm doing this_. With a confident and serious nod I repeat myself. "I think I want to compete in Pokemon Contests."

"Um, w-wow, Carter. This is amazing," Lily musters. This whole talk must sound so strange to them. _Me_ and _Pokemon_. I can see it on their faces, still registering the idea. "You barely wanted to do battles, much less Contests. What's the sudden change of heart?"

I shrug. "I, guess I just feel like trying out new things that's all. You know, with Dad gone and all."

"I just don't get why you want to go all the way to Orre," Violet weighs in. "Why not start here in Kanto?"

"Sis we don't have Pokemon Contests here," Daisy mentions. "Plus the Starters in Orre are Eevee! They're so cute!"

"Yeah Violet! Can't you imagine Carter up there on a stage with that cute little thing?" Lily asks. "Such a different atmosphere from battling all the time with those scruffier Pokemon."

"Plus I have a friend up in Orre already," I add. Technically I do. "So I won't be totally alone. And I even talked to Brock about it. He says that May is headlining the Championships at Orre as a special guest this year."

"Your dad's friend May? From Petalburg?" Daisy asks. I nod, glad they remember the reference.

"I just, feel like it's time to start my own thing now, you know? Thirteen, stuck at home on weekends. Never having walked a straight mile in my life. It could be fun."

Violet looks skeptical still, but I think she cracks. "If this is really what you wanna do then I support you, Carter."

"Really?" I smile.

"Of course. Anything for our niece," she smiles. "We'll miss having a pipsqueak like you around, though."

"But hey at least with you on Contests we can see you on TV!" Lily freaks, getting all excited. At that moment my entire mental structure falls apart. _What_?

"Oh yeah that's right. They always televise Pokemon Contests," Daisy remembers. "That's even better!" How the hell do I forget that? This whole Pokemon Contest thing was only supposed to be a facade. Now with that excuse, I may really have to go through with this. I don't have time to participate in silly Contests! I can barely figure how I'm going to pull off finding Pikachu. "We can get you a ferry ticket to Orre by the end of the week before the new Contest season starts!"

... Hm? "Oh yeah that'd be great thanks," I reply with enthusiasm, sparkling with anxiousness. To think twenty minutes ago I was just going to waste away my normal birthday in my room studying or something. Spur-of-the-moment plans usually come and go, but not to this extent. Buy some different food? A new stationary set? That's my idea of 'spur of the moment decisions'. Traveling to another region in search of something I don't even know? Big jump is an understatement.

"Being a teenager sucks..." I mutter once my aunts are out of range. But, there's no turning back now. I'm going to find Pikachu. I'm doing this for my dad.

* * *

**Oookay so, this is juts a new story I came up with. For fun. I saw my little sister playing my old Colloseum and XD games and it made me rememebr how much I loved the story. So I thought I'd try this out for fun. **

**Tell me what you think so far!**

**PREVIEW:  
**

_**"To be honest Professor Krane, I'm kind of nervous," I admit, finding it easy to talk to him. "I've... never really handled Pokemon before."**_

_**"Oh-ho believe me, it's a wonderful experience training your first Pokemon. I've seen it in many kids in my time," Krane assures, putting a smile on my face.**_

_**x-x-x**_

_**"So who was that guy anyway, back on the elevator? The one I bumped into."**_

_**They arrested all the Team Sanggem members, but that guy was the only minor around. So instead of throwing him into jail with the rest, the police were forced to bring him here for holding until we can figure out what to do with him."**_

_**x-x-x**_

_**"A ring." It's a silvery blue ring. "I don't remember them packing this…" Curiosity takes over and I try it on my right hand. It's a loose fit, so I notice immediately when it magically shrinks to fit perfectly around my ring finger, and it doesn't come off.**_


	2. Chapter 2

**_After Misty's death, Ash leaves his daughter Carter to be raised by Misty's sisters in Cerulean. Years ater, Carter sees her father on the news as mysterious uniformed men steal Pikachu. Carter isn't a trainer like her paretns and doesn't even have her first Pokemon yet, but she's willing to risk it all to save Pikachu in the Orre region, one of the most criminal-filed regions of the Pokemon World. Who is Cipher and what are they doing with her father's Pikachu?  
_**

**_A new generation sets out to save the world. World Champion Ash Kethcum's novice daughter Carter, Michael's smart kid son Alex, and a mysteryious orphan raised by Team Snaggem who has inherrited the one of a kind ability to see Shadow Pokemon auras. These 3 unlikely friends join forces to travel all around Orre and purify the region of __Cipher's__ corruption._**

* * *

"You have all your bags? You've got enough food don't you? Don't forget the emergency money. Ooh and be sure to dress nice when you compete!"

"Okay I get it Aunt Lily don't spazz out," I try to assure. We're at the docks in the city, and I'm about to board on and leave for Orre. "And I'm only taking this bag it's fine."

"Oh I know. I just, can't believe you're really going!" she cries, giving me a quick hug.

"We called up the Pokemon Lab there. They'll be expecting you. The lab shouldn't be too far from where the ferry lets off," Violet tells me. I nod in acknowledgement, but she begins to give me a teary eyed smile. "Call us if you ever need anything okay?"

"And we'll be looking out for you on the television," Daisy adds. "Misty would be so proud to see you like this, off to get your first Pokemon."

Thinking of her, I can't help but smile a little. Even if the thought of me having my own Pokemon disturbs me a little, I know Mom would be happy to see this moment, too. "Yeah."

"Oh. Before you go," Violet says suddenly, reaching into her purse. I hear a rustle and think it must be unnecessary extra food or money. But she surprises me with a small brown paper wrapped package with string tied around to hold it together.

She hands it to me and I feel it's incredibly light weight and stone hard mass. There's a marker message on it, saying '_To: Carter From: Dad_'. "Violet what's this?"

"It's from your father," Violet tells me. Despite the grudge, I can see she's trying to be as civil and serious about the topic of my dad at the moment. "We've been holding onto it after he left. He told us to give it to you when you ready or something along the lines of that. And I suppose now would be a better time than any."

I look down at the package. As much as my dad and I don't talk, I feel so curious as to what he could've possibly wanted to give me. "Thanks, Violet."

She nods, solemnly. "Take care of yourself."

Within moments, I'm standing up by the railing of the ferry as it begins to move, and I start to wave back to my aunts. I can see them waving back as they grow smaller and smaller on the horizon line of Kanto. I think to myself: the next time I come back, I'll either have Pikachu safe in my arms for my dad, or be back empty handed carrying the guilt that Pikachu is gone forever; maybe even the father I once knew.

The ferry ride itself, despite the technicality that it was at least five hours on end, it feels relatively shorter. I spend most of the time out on the deck, staring off into space. Thinking. The reality is, I'm heading up to Orre to get my first Pokemon. It's not that I'm afraid of them or that I hate them. They just, aren't my thing is all. I've tried to get into the idea once to be a trainer, but I just couldn't cut it.

So I have no idea how I'm going to pull this off.

To kill time, I take out that package Violet gave me. "So this is from dad, huh?" I can't believe I totally forgot about this. I take off the strong and wrap, only to find a strange rock on a string inside. "It's, an amulet?" I ask myself, holding it up to the sky. It's a rock the size of my palm, and it feels like it was a piece of something before. One side of it has inscribing's I can't make out, cut off on the edges. "What the heck was Dad thinking giving me this?" I ask no one in particular.

Nonetheless, it's a gift from dad, and that's all it needs to be. I place the amulet around my neck for luck. I'll need it.

Too soon (seemingly many hours later), the ferry docks and the few passengers start to make their way off the boat – me being last. I step off and take in the surroundings. It isn't an impressive port. Probably just a simple transportation one. Well… the ticket was cheap.

There's a brick path that leads into the woods, with a sign that says 'Pokemon HQ Lab'. So I take that way. As anxious as I feel to rescue Pikachu, knowing he's somewhere here, I feel pretty nervous too about the starter Eevee I'm going to be given. Will it like me? Will I be able to take care of it? Can I even use it right? Will I be able to tell if it's a boy or girl?

"Agh," I say to myself, scratching my head. "All these questions are giving me a headache." On my way down the long brick path, the huge white lab comes into view through this opening of trees. A huge Pokeball sculpture sits at the top of the building, spinning slowly. I take a moment to just stand in front of it. "This is really it, Mom," I say, swallowing. Geez. If ten-year olds can do this then I should be just fine.

The first thing I see when I walk in is a receptionist's desk. A nice blonde woman sits, working, until she notices me walk in and thus greets me with this kind smile. "Hello how may I help you?"

"Hi uh, I'm looking for Proffesor Finch?" I ask, hoping I got the right name. "I'm here to pick my Starter Pokemon."

"You must be Carter Ketchum," she reads from her computer. In a way this feels distinctly similar to being a new student in a new school. However I notice her expression change after she reads my last name. "'Ketchum'? As in, you're Ash Ketchum's daughter?"

"Yup, that's me," I nod flatly. I used to get that a lot when I went to school. Sort of built up this expectation that I was something I wasn't. Hopefully it won't happen here too.

"Professor Finch should be somewhere around here, knowing that man," the secretary sighs, typing into her computer. "He's the new head professor around here and we're all trying to adjust to him."

"How's it going so far?" I ask for conversation.

She shrugs, leaning a little towards 'eh'. "We're managing."

Behind her desk down a tiny hall, an elevator dings and an old man comes out with a cane and lab coat. I make a mental guess this must be the guy. "Hello, is this the new trainer we've been expecting?"

"Yes this is her."

"Hi. You must be Professor Finch," I smile, shaking his hand out of courtesy.

"Oh no. I'm Professor Krane," he laughs, having a firmer handshake than I expected. He sounds pretty lively for an old man. Almost like Professor Oak back home. "Finch is having a frazzled breakdown in the third floor lab, so I figured it'd be best I come down and welcome our guest."

"Thank God," the secretary laughs. "Alright Ms. Ketchum. You're in good hands here with Professor Krane."

Professor Krane starts to walk me along towards the elevator. "So you must be Carter. We've been looking forward to meeting you. It's been quite some time since we've handled any new trainers here in Orre."

"Really?"

The older man nods. "Especially outsiders. Orre's terrain is very different from Kanto and many of the other regions." We go onto the elevator, and the door slides shut swiftly. I've never seen architecture as complex as this back in Cerulean. "Are you excited to meet your first Pokemon?"

"To be honest Professor Krane, I'm kind of nervous," I admit, finding it easy to talk to him. "I've never handled Pokemon before, and I don't really know what I'm getting myself into when I meet this Eevee."

"Oh-ho believe me, it's a wonderful experience training your first Pokemon. I've seen it in many kids in my time," Krane assures, putting a smile on my face. "However," I frown, "the lab no longer distributes Eevees as its starters anymore."

For some reason, that surprise pop-up of a fact catches me off guard. And it bothers me. "Pardon me?"

"Professor Finch decided to remodel the Starter Process here in the lab," Professor Krane explains, sounding like he wasn't for it to begin with. "Personally I liked the Eevee system better, but after I retired and put Professor Finch in charge, it's not really my say anymore."

"At least you still get to monitor the place," I notice, seeing as _he_ was the one showing me around instead of this assumed 'head professor'. The elevator finally reaches its floor and lets us off. But as we're about to get off, I make a collision with someone who's about to get onto the elevator themselves.

An inevitable crash ensures, and I fall to the floor, as does the person. I hear a clicking 'ding', the sound of something small and shiny dropping to the floor, while I drop my bag and its contents.

"Hey watch it!" the boy snaps. His most notable feature is his nearly white hair. Hearing so for some reason makes me pout as I rub my sore head. Rude much?

"Sorry," I say with slight attitude as I gather my things back into my bag. Unknowingly, I also manage to drop in a small ring that isn't mine into the small compartment of my bag. I hurry because of the scene we've made. Two others stand behind the fallen teen. A man with a lab coat and a younger boy whom looks very familiar to me.

"Get up," says a man behind the boy, pulling the teen to his feet and forcing him onto the elevator. "For the last time, you're going to stay put where we leave you is that clear?"

"Hmph." The guy frowns and walks past me, accidentally shoving my shoulder as I'm getting up myself. It takes all I have to not say something at him, but it seems he's already in trouble as it is. He'll be taken care of.

"Carter?" a younger voice speaks.

I lift my head up at the smaller boy, and it's then I finally recognize him. "Is that you Alex?"

"Oh my gosh it's you!" he cheers, running to give me the biggest hug. "You're so tall now!"

"So are you," I smile, ruffling his hair. He's up to my chest in height. "Last time I saw you in person you were barely three feet."

"I see we already know each other here," Professor Krane assumes. "Alex would you mind showing our guest to the Presentation room while I retrieve the starter Pokemon from the lab?"

"Sure thing, Professor Krane!" Alex salutes. Krane walks back into the elevator, leaving me with my new host. When he's gone, Alex just starts to go on and I can't stop him. "I can't believe it you're really here! After all these years of video mails. What are you doing here are you getting a starter?"

I laugh a little. This kid can't keep me sour forever. "Actually yeah. I am. It's a long story, really."

Alex begins to walk me to this Presentation Room, labeling other rooms and people along the way as a sort of tour. Along his series of explanations, I feel curious to ask. "So who was that guy anyway, back on the elevator? The one I bumped into."

"Oh him?" Alex frowns, obviously upset. "He's some guy the police apprehended just now." Shoot seriously? "They raided Team Sanggem's old hide out – they're this organization that steals other people's Pokemon."

"That's horrible," I blink. Those actually exist? Apparently only in Orre nowadays. No wonder Professor Krane says no new trainers ever come here.

"Mhm. They arrested all the Team Sanggem members, but that guy was the only minor around. So instead of throwing him into jail with the rest, the police were forced to bring him here for holding until we can figure out what to do with him."

"So, what _are_ you going to do to him?"

"Send him to juvie for all I care. All that matters was that I had to watch him and that was so unfair!" Alex complains. I can't help but laugh a little. Alex may be kid but, he's so animated with his expressions. "Whatever. At least he's gone for now." Alex presses a button that opens a door to a new room. This must be that Presentation Room.

"Wow," I breathe out as the door slides shut behind us automatically. "To think in moments I'm going to be getting my first Pokemon."

"Too bad we both can't have Eevees," Alex says apologetically. "Everyone hates the new system Professor Finch set up."

"What're the Starter Pokemon I get to pick from?"

Alex shrugs. "Your guess is as good as mine. Most regions have 3 specific Pokemon from Grass, Fire, and Water types to pick from. You know, to keep it simple and basic. Only here Professor Finch thinks having a bunch of choices is better. No it isn't. It just pressures the trainer and makes them all the more indecisive so they end up picking a choice that doesn't work out well for them as starters."

And, he's still a ranter. And a smartee. "Well that makes me feel better."

"Here we are," Professor Krane greets, coming in with a brief case. He sets it on a table as Alex and I crowd beside him. Opening the case, there are six Pokeballs inside – twice the number of standard Starter Choices. "Okay Carter, we'll go through them one by one until you find one that suits you."

I nod twice. "Okay." I try to think of the process of picking my first one to be a positive and uplifting experience. Only it's anything but. I pick a random Pokeball and instinctively (eventually) manage to get it out of the ball and onto the table in front of me. And here are the results so far:

Vulpix, the fire type. As cute as it looked, it gave off an air that 'it was too good for me'. Vulpix would turn its head away anytime I said anything to it to the point I would've ende dup having a one-sided arguemet with it until Professor Krane returned it. So Vulpix was out.

"Okay, no Vulpix," Professor Krane says apologetically. "But there are still more to look through."

Before we can continue, the door opens again and interrupts the session. To my surprise it's that rude guy again and his obvious ticked of babysitter. "My apologies, Professor Krane. But Professor Finch insists we keep him in here under you for surveillance."

"What does Professor Krane look like a babysitter?" Alex mutters.

"Considering he's with you two yes," the white-haired teen remarks, further pissing me off for some reason. The nerve this guy has…

"It's fine. You can sit over there," Krane offers politely, pointing to a chair against the wall. The other lab assistant apologies a second time before leaving us. The stranger sits as he's told, but feeling his eyes on me makes the process of finding my Pokemon all the more nerve-wrecking. I try to ignore him.

As for the rest of the Pokemon, they were just as unpleasant . Machop was to competitive against me for its own good. Pichu was a prankster that just wouldn't listen to anything – it was the hardest to return to its ball. Sunkern was just plain scared of me and wouldn't go anywhere near me. And Wooper just loved squirting water in my face for no reason. As with each progressively horrible choice Pokemon, our 'guest' sitting in the back would just laugh and comment and, you have no idea how much I just wanted to shut him up.

"Hahahahaha!" the teen boy laughs. "Oh my gosh! I never knew picking a starter could end this badly! But you really are something, hahaha!"

"Ah shut up, you! You aren't even supposed to be here!" Alex yells for me.

I sigh and wipe my brow. "I'm sorry, Professor Krane. Maybe I'm really not cut out for this."

"Nonsense. There's still one last Pokeball we haven't tried out," he replies with a tone of hope. He does the honors and reveals the Pokemon for me. Only this one's probably the worst it can get, and I can tell by Alex's similar expression to mine that, this wasn't going to work out...

Before us on the table stands not even a remotely Starter-looking starter Pokemon. Alex's face falls as mine contorts into one of confusion. "Sablye-Sablye…" the Pokemon says eerily.

"What…" while we're in our own spaces, the visitor watching on is caught off guard as well, seeing the dark Pokemon. _That Sableye. It has this shadowy aura around it…_

"Sableye!" The Pokemon jumps up as me, Alex, and Professor Krane move out of the way. The Pokemon jumps from side to side, from the floor to the wall to the ceiling, knocking things over and scratching things up. It must be trying to find the exit, but the door is sealed shut.

"Guys? What's happening?" I panic as we all duck to the floor.

"Professor Krane, that isn't really one of the Starters, is it?" Alex asks.

"Mm. I'm afraid not. This Pokemon must've gotten caught up with the others when I went to pick up the Starters for Carter in Professor Finch's office.'

"Fgures," Alex mumbles.

"Sableye was a rogue Pokemon we found out in the forest – not a normal terrain for Sableye, so we kept it in observation after seeing its unusually rash behavior." Rash is kind of an understatement now that I see it. "After running some tests, we're afraid that it may actually be a Shadow Pokemon."

Suddenly this new terminology springs up, and I have no idea where we are in the conversation. Alex looks confused, too. "A… Shadow Pokemon?" he repeats. If this kid doesn't know what that means then there's no hope for me.

Another crash ensures in the background, knocking over a metal bookshelf. _Ugh_, this wasn't supposed to be this troublesome. "This has to stop," I say, taking a risk and looking back. Taking only a second to think, I jump up to try and catch Sableye.

Alex attempt to grab me but his hand misses. "Carter wait!"

"Is she crazy…?" the stranger mutters, watching me run.

"Sableye!" I call out, repeating the name that Professor Krane called it. "Stop this! Please!"

"She is crazy," the loner-observer states. As he sees me trying to catch Sableye, he observes the hyped up Pokemon preparing to attack me directly. "Get down!" he yelled, jumping up to tackle me. Sableye misses thankfully, but only because I was knocked over. Hmph. Should I be grateful or just freaked out? "What do you think you're trying to do? Get killed? Can't you see it-"

"Something's wrong with it," I cut off, not wanting to argue with him again. "It's all riled up for some reason and we need to calm it down."

It's then that the boy realizes it. _She can't see the aura._

I stand for a moment as I see Sableye jump all over the room. I watch, wait, then tackle this Sableye Pokemon mid-jump to the floor, holding it in my arms. At first I'm conscious of whether I'm holding him too tght or not enough. I've never held a Pokemon, much less one this crazy. "Hold still!" Sableye tries to escape my hold, wavering all around and screeching. "Sableye please!" The Pokemons' claws come out, and it begins scratching up my sleeves, but I kept hold.

"Please," I say again. "It's fine. You're fine. You're not scary," I say, eventually more to myself. "Please calm down." Unconsciously my hand holding over Sableye's head motions my thumb over its temple, as if massaging it slightly. I also feel Sableye pressing against my amulet, and it's rigging into my chest it almost hurts. However, it pays off because soon enough Sableye starts to calm down.

"No way," Alex watches. "Sableye's stopping."

"The aura's disappearing…" the other boy whispers, seeing his imaginary vision disperse, as if he'd never even seen it in the first place.

Sableye's arms rest, and my muscles relax. It's calm and I rub its head. "See? All better." With that in mind, my head falls back and onto the floor to rest. I've never felt so tired until now.

"Sableye return," Professor Krane commands after we all regain ourselves. The room is a mess, but at least we're okay and unharmed. Well, save for my sweater, but it's fine. "I'm sorry Carter. Are you alright?"

"Don't worry I'm fine," I assure, getting back up. I notice that nameless boy getting up as well a few feet away. He's unusually quiet, and staring at me. … Still staring at me. _Don't look at him, Carter_. "Your arms," Alex notices, walking up to me. "You have a cut."

"Oh," I finally see. One cut. That's actually pretty okay. "Do you know a place I can clean up for a sec?"

"The first air room is down the hall. There should be some gauze there," Professor Krane explains. "I'm going to bring this Pokemon back to the testing room. Alex, would you mind running up to Professor Finch to return these other starters for me?"

"Sure, Professor," Alex obliges, not thrilled by the fact he as to see this infamous man.

With all of us about to go our temporary separate ways, Professor Krane faces the white-haired boy. "Thank you for saving Carter from getting hurt," he begins. "Would you mind waiting here until we all return?"

"N-No sir," he respectfully replies. Wow. He's being nice. The three of us leave him to be by his lonesome, and the door shuts behind us.

So while Alex leaves with the suitcase of Starter Pokemon and Krane goes off with the Sableye Pokeball, I go to find the First Aid room they told me about to clean up my cut. "Mm.. Where did he say it was?" Astoundingly enough I do manage to get lost on this tiny floor. All the doors look the same, and most don't automatically open from the outside. I'm stuck just wandering, inwardly panicking.

"Hey," someone calls.

I turn around to find it's that white-haired kid, and I narrow a glare at him. "What do you want. Didn't Professor Krane tell you to wait?" For some reason I don't feel very obligated to be nice to this guy. Not after how rudely he acted when we first met at the elevator.

He crosses his arms with a mirroring expression. "Weren't you supposed to have found that First Aid room by now?" He smirks. "Lost are we?"

"What. Were you planning on sneaking out again?" I say back. "I hear that's what you've been doing all day around here."

"You did something to that Sableye," he states blanty.

I'm albeit taken back by this. What? "Excuse me?"

"You're telling me you didn't see that black aura around it," he accuses me. "You made it go away. How did you do it?"

"I don't know what you're talking about," I say, leaving him and walking away. Aura. There was no aura. "You're seeing things," I say lastly.

Once I'm gone, I think I find the room. It's the only open one, and there's a sign that says First Aid. It looks just like the room I was just in, to be honest. And none of the first aid stuff is anywhere… Probably in the cabinets or office drawers, but I feel inclined to _not_ look through those.

"Mm. Knowing Aunt Lily she must've packed something first-aid-ish in here." I take off my bag and empty it out onto a table. There's a bag of sandwiches. A hat. A jacket. A book. Other miniscule little things. "Aha," I finally find it. "First Aid kit."

I take my time to clean up. I remove the scratched up old sweater to reveal my arms. And my right arm has one pretty obvious cut. Not to deep and it'll disappear in a week or so, but it still needed fixing up. While I'm looking for the bandages on the table, I notice an odd shiny sparkle near the kit. Moving the kit aside, I pick up the object. "A ring." It's a silvery blue ring, with a Pokeball image on the front engraved. "I don't remember them packing this…" Curiosity takes over and I try it on my right arm. It's a loose fit, so I notice immediately when it magically shrinks to fit perfectly around my ring finger.

Huh? "What the-" I blink my eyes twice as I bring it closer. "No way." I try to remove the ring, but it won't budge. It's not super tight that it won't come off. It just- won't come off! "What the heck is this thing anyway?" I grumble. I rush over to a nearby sink to try and loosen it with water and soap. The ring refuses to leave my finger, and I find this to be an even worse problem than the Sableye attacking. "This isn't even mine," I muster, giving up on sing the sink.

As I shake my hand dry, something accidentally hits the ring, and I feel it vibrate with a surge of energy, right through my arm. I gasp and freeze, having felt that. "What-" Suddenly my arm feels all tingly. It starts at my ring finger, and slowly up to my hand, then my arm and almost up to my shoulder. It doesn't hurt, but something's happening. And it's all because of the ring. By now the cut is the least of my worries.

From the ring, I see light shoot up in patterns up my arms, like veins, but more, organized. Art like. Techno-patterned. _Tattooed_. The lights mark their way all around my right arm stemming from the ring, and when the light dies down and my arm feels normal again, the light patterns are reduced to dark navy tattoos.

I life my bare arm to eye's length. I feel the skin where the marks are now. Zigzag lines of some tribal or technological pattern or something. From above my elbow all the way down to the center of my palm, where this circular pattern lies. And where a _solid_ cold ring once was on my finger, it too has been reduced to a tattoo-like essence around my ring finger. Yup. Can't remove that. "This is sooo not good."

* * *

**PREVIEW:  
**

_**"So, you're not a Pokemon person, and you're not nice." Valen nods once more. "Great traits for the beginning of a journey where you have to catch your own Pokemon."**_

_**"At least I'm obligated to fairly catch mine, unlike you who steal them from people," I say back.**_

_**Valen looks at me hard before a sly smile comes on. "So, did the brat tell you I'm from Team Snaggem?"**_

_**"Does it matter?" I ask, keeping my back to him.**_

_**x-x-x**_

_**"Hey Carter! You've gotta get out there and see what's going down!"**_

_**Is he serious? "No way! You want me to go out there?!"**_

_**"Please Carter what about the lab assistants?" Alex's kid voice pleads from the other end of the door. "What if those bad guys are hurting them!" I really don't want to find out if they are. "And you've got Sableye!"**_

_**"You make that sound like it's an asset," I hear Valen comment. Gee thanks.**_

_**x-x-x**_

_**"Tell me something first. How does a girl like you, who can't deal with Pokemon, and has no enthusiasm for learning how to battle, end up in Orre?"**_

_**"I have my reasons."**_


End file.
